Disposable plastic blood vessel clamp

ABSTRACT

A disposable and adjustable blood vessel clamp for the control and reduction of fluid flow through tubes and vessels especially the flow of blood through blood vessels during surgery is disclosed. The plastic device comprises a base frame having mounted thereon a handle or grip means and an extended arm or extension lever which is sufficiently long to generate tension in a stretched filament or flexible tubing which is pulled along its length and fastened. At the one extremity of the arm is a bifurcated foot having a bisecting slot therein through which the stretched filament can be passed after the filament is looped over the blood vessel. A means for attaching both ends of the filamentary tubing to the handle means is also provided by preferably a spring lever in the handle frame which can be depressed to release the tension on the stretched filament and released to reengage the ends of the tensioned filament or tube. When the flexible tube or filament is pulled by one hand along the extender arm and cradled in the bifurcated foot after being looped over the blood vessel its ends are trapped in the jaws of the spring lever. This cuts off the blood flow until the jaws are opened and the tension reduced by a relaxation of the tension on the stretched filament.

United States Patent Leveen DISPOSABLE PLASTIC BLOOD VESSEL CLAMP [76] Inventor: Harry H. Leveen, 800 Poly Pl.,

Brooklyn, NY. 11209 [22] Filed: Apr. 9, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 349,110

Primary ExaminerChanning L. Pace 451 July 1,1975

[5 7 ABSTRACT A disposable and adjustable blood vessel clamp for the control and reduction of fluid flow through tubes and vessels especially the flow of blood through blood vessels during surgery is disclosed. The plastic device comprises a base frame having mounted thereon a handle or grip means and an extended arm or extension lever which is sufl'iciently long to generate tension in a stretched filament or flexible tubing which is pulled along its length and fastened. At the one extremity of the arm is a bifurcated foot having a bisecting slot therein through which the stretched filament can be passed after the filament is looped over the blood vessel. A means for attaching both ends of the filamentary tubing to the handle means is also provided by preferably a spring lever in the handle frame which can be depressed to release the tension on the stretched filament and released to reengage the ends of the tensioned filament or tube. When the flexible tube or filament is pulled by one hand along the extender arm and cradled in the bifurcated foot after being looped over the blood vessel its ends are trapped in the jaws of the spring lever. This cuts off the blood flow until the jaws are opened and the tension reduced by a relaxation of the tension on the stretched filament.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 1 DISPOSABLE PLASTIC BLOOD VESSEL CLAMP BACKROUND OF THE INVENTION The field of surgery has for many years labored with steel blood vessel clamps which are large in size generally and require reuse and consequent sterilization after each use. Therefore despite careful handling in the surgery these instruments are sometimes lost and are costly to replace. In addition to this these steel clamps must be sterilized after each use under proper condi tions of temperature and pressure and involve a considerable labor cost to the hospital.

Furthermore the ratchet type of blood vessel clamp currently in common use to gradually increase or decrease pressure on the wall of the blood vessel exerts a less even or smooth or gradual pressure on the fluid flow through the vessel by a constriction of its wall. On top of all this the current steel vessel clamps are large and unweildy and take up precious space in the operating area where the surgeon is at work in tissue repair or replacement. Yet some means of a quick and reliable control of the blood supply to the operating area must be employed to permit the surgical technique to proceed successfully.

Therefore a small easily handled disposable clamp for control of blood flow through particularly larger blood vessels would be of considerable value to the surgeon.

It is a primary object of the present invention to describe and disclose such a device which meets these criteria and overcomes the deficiencies of the present steel blood vessel clamps in many uses and applications. It is a further object of the invention to describe a new method of control of blood flow through major blood vessels and other tubes and ducts having fluids passing therethrough where it is desired to regulate smoothly the fluid passage therein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention therefore there is presented a plastic blood vessel clamp which is a disposable device which serves and excels in the function which it is designed to perform, namely the control of the rate of flow of blood through a blood vessel While the device will be specifically described by reference to the control of the flow of blood through a vessel it must be remembered that the same principles and results will of course apply to the control of the flow of any fluid through any conduit having flexible walls where hand control of a hand clamp is possible. By control of blood flow as employed herein it is intended to refer to a complete or partial halt in the flow of the fluid through the vessel as surgical conditions may dictate.

The invention will be more specifically described by reference to the several figures in the attached and accompanying drawing.

In FIG. 1 of the drawing there is shown a side elevation of the device particularly showing the spring lever structure in its closed position which puts it in engagement with the seat of the adjacent frame and permits entrapment of the tensioned tubing therein.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the device which particularly illustrates the construction of the handle and the spring lever arm in relation to the bifurcated foot of the tube extender arm through which points the stretched or tensioned clamping tube passes.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the device taken along line 33 of FIG. 1 and illustrates the construction of the frame.

FIG. 4 on the other hand is a perspective view of the device showing how the flexible tubing is first looped over the vessel and drawn between the slot and the two shoulders of the bifurcated foot of the extender arm.

Finally FIG. 5 shows the device in perspective view with the spring lever pressed against the seat for the same and thereby holding the rubber tubing or other filamentary material in a stretched relationship with the foot of the clamp on the opposite end.

Turning first to FIG. 1 of the drawing, the elevation shows a plastic disposible tool or device having a base frame 1 and a handle means 2 with a back wall 20 and gripping means 3 positioned about the periphery of the handle means so that the user of the device can hold the same in his hand firmly and by exertion of a compressive force with his fingers cause the spring lever 4 and its pressure tip 5 to move toward the upper portion of the handle 2 and frame 1 and away from the seat 6 of the frame where the natural plastic memory and tension of the spring lever 4 would cause it to rest unless forced out of that position.

An extender arm 7 joins the seat of the spring lever 4 to the bifurcated foot 8 of device which foot is posi tioned adjacent the blood vessel to be clamped. This foot 8 has two lateral fingers or toes 11 and 11a which have a slot therein through which a loop of tubing connected at its ends to the spring lever 4 and its pressure tip 5 is inserted after the loop has been wrapped once about the blood vessel to be clamped.

As shown in FIG. 2 the rubber tubing or other stretchable filament is held in place by a lateral retainer wall 14 which runs along a recession from the bifurcated foot 8 and its slot 12 to the grasping jaws of the seat 6 of the spring lever.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the device taken along a midline 3-3 of the FIG. 1 of the device. FIGv 4 is a perspective view of how the device is used showing particularly the lateral retainer wall 14 and guide channel 15 built into the frame underside of the extender arm 7. The tubing 10 is looped about the blood vessel 9 and pulled firm by hand against the top of the lateral two fingers of 11 and lla of the bifurcated foot 8 of the clamp. Once this is done the tubing is pulled taut and lined up with the guide channel 15 and prepared for fastening into place by compression exerted on the ends of the tubing 10 by the compression tip 5 of the spring lever 4 which is shown as being opened to receive the ends of the tubing 10.

In FIG. 5 we see the stretched tubing ends 10 firmly locked into place by entrapment between the pressure tip 5 of the spring lever 4 and the seat 6 of the frame. We also see the blood vessel pulled firmly against the tops of the fingers l1 and 11a of the bifurcated foot 8 by the loop of tubing 10. We see that vessel compressed by the tension exerted against it due to the stretch of the tubing along the extender arm 7.

A simple compression of the spring lever 5 releases the ends of the tubing and relaxes pressure on the compressed or pinched blood vessel and permits a partial or total flow of fluid through the vessel.

The several drawings serve only to illustrate the invention and the scope of the same may only be determined by reference to the several appended claims.

We claim:

4 having its median point pass through the bifurcated foot of the device in substantial attachment thereto. 2. A method for reducing the flow of blood through 5 blood vessels which comprises:

a. looping a filamentary clamping means over the vessel b. inserting the ends of the looped filament between the bifurcated foot of a clamp of claim (1.) and c. pulling the filamentary clamping means taut by continuous adjustable attachment to the handle of the said clamp. 

1. An adjustable blood vessel clamp which comprises: a. a base frame having, thereon, on one end a handle means connected by a single extender arm terminated by a bifurcated foot on the opposite end and b. a stretchable filament attachment means interposed between said handle means and said bifurcated foot, c. the said filament attachment means of (b) being a clamp whose jaws are releasable by compression of the handle means and d. a stretchable filament member attached at both ends to the said filament attachment clamp and having its median point pass through the bifurcated foot of the device in substantial attachment thereto.
 2. A method for reducing the flow of blood through blood vessels which comprises: a. looping a filamentary clamping means over the vessel b. inserting the ends of the looped filament between the bifurcated foot of a clamp of claim (1.) and c. pulling the filamentary clamping means taut by continuous adjustable attachment to the handle of the said clamp. 